Hassaleh & Romantic Symphony make hay in Deauville sun

Progressive three-year-olds Hassaleh and Romantic Symphony both appear destined for greater things after registering their first Group-race victories at Deauville over the weekend.

Hassaleh had already scored at the Normandy track when dominating last month’s Listed Darley Prix Amandine and she impressed again as she swept by the whole field to take Saturday’s G3 Darley Prix de Lieurey.

It was a third win from four starts this year for the Night Of Thunder filly, who could continue on her travels over the coming months, with Keeneland’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup one possible option.

Romantic Symphony also converted a recent Listed success to G3 glory with a comfortable victory in Sunday’s G3 Prix Lady O’Reilly. Her full siblings Yibir and Wild Illusion both graduated to G1 honours and she could bid to continue the family record in next month’s G1 E P Taylor Stakes in Canada.

Quest For Stars has G1 ambitions of his own after the two-year-old maintained a perfect start to his career with a brave display in the Listed Stonehenge Stakes on Wednesday. The winner of the Salisbury race receives a free entry to the Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown next month, and the Charlie Appleby-trained colt looks set to take up a trip across the Irish Sea.

A good week for royal blue juveniles in the UK also saw Rock Montreal (Blue Point) and Bin Jahwar (Ghaiyyath) impress on their debuts at Yarmouth and Newmarket, with National Honour getting off the mark at Thirsk on his second start.

Encino has enjoyed Stakes wins on dirt, turf and the all-weather in the United States, and the Nyquist five-year-old added a fifth success on a synthetic surface when making all in Monday’s Avery Whisman Memorial Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.

York’s Ebor Festival dominates the European calendar this week, with Ombudsman aiming to complete the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes-Juddmonte International double for a second successive year.

Officially the joint-best horse in the world, the Night Of Thunder entire will be hoping to emulate last year’s brilliant win as he faces Eclipse Stakes winner Constitution River in a blockbuster renewal of the meeting’s feature race.

Knightsbridge will be hoping to secure a breakthrough G1 success in Saturday’s Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The half-brother to Speaker’s Corner heads to California on the back of a comprehensive 10-and-a-quarter-length victory in last month’s G3 Monmouth Cup.

Trawlerman had been an intended runner in the Lonsdale Cup at York this week, but the champion stayer has been retired after picking up a tendon lesion.

Winner of the Ebor Stakes in 2022, the eight-year-old ran his best races at Ascot, including lowering the course record with a dominant success in last year’s Gold Cup and twice winning the British Champions Long Distance Cup.